Chapter 188: The Return of Jiraiya and Naruto - A New Konoha

When Kazuki heard that Nagato and Konan had come looking for him, he was genuinely surprised.

But when he learned they had turned back without even coming in, he was utterly baffled.

What the heck?

Strange!

Outside Konoha,

an old man and a young boy walked with laughter and cheer towards the village.

"It's been a long time since I was last here. I wonder how Kazuki and Sasuke are doing! I'll definitely surprise them!"

"Yeah, right. If I didn't know better, I'd think you mastered Sage Mode or something."

Over a year of training hadn't brought Naruto the drastic improvement he had hoped for. Sure, he'd made progress with the nature transformation of Wind Release Chakra, developed the Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, honed his Summoning Jutsu, and strengthened his physical abilities. But compared to Kazuki and Sasuke, his progress seemed minimal.

"Hey, Pervy Sage! You never taught me Sage Mode. How could I have learned it?"

"To learn Sage Mode, you need to qualify first! Right now, you're only barely close enough to consider it."

Naruto pouted, feeling indignant but unable to refute him. For some reason, ever since he parted ways with Kazuki, his training progress had noticeably slowed down.

As they walked, they finally arrived at the entrance of Konoha. But upon seeing it, both of them paused in confusion.

"Is this... Konoha Village?"

At this time of day, the entrance was bustling with a constant stream of people—something Jiraiya had never witnessed before. He had seen a thriving Konoha, but never had he seen so many people at the village gates.

"Pervy Sage, are we sure this is the right place?"

Jiraiya looked at the sign above, slightly unsure. "Uh… I think so?"

"But I don't remember Konoha being this lively," Naruto scratched his head, questioning his own memory.

A passerby overheard them and smiled, joining the conversation. "You two haven't been here in a while, huh? Konoha isn't the same as before!"

Naruto perked up. "What's changed?"

"It's become stronger, more prosperous, livelier! All thanks to our Fifth Hokage!"

"Fifth Hokage?" Jiraiya looked puzzled. When he had left, Danzo Shimura had taken the Hokage position. Could he really have transformed Konoha like this?

He asked cautiously, "So, is the current Fifth Hokage named Danzo Shimura?"

"Danzo Shimura? That scoundrel who killed the Third Hokage has no right to that title! Good riddance to him!"

"Danzo... is dead? When did that happen?"

"It's been a year. He was taken down by Konoha's own rogue ninja, Uchiha Sasuke and Orochimaru! He got what he deserved!"

"Uchiha Sasuke... and Orochimaru?" Jiraiya furrowed his brow, unable to understand how those two could have aligned. Yet he had a feeling this development had something to do with Kazuki.

"Thanks for telling us."

"No need to thank me—it's common knowledge. By the way, you two look familiar… Haven't I seen you before?"

The young man thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up with recognition.

"Wait! You're... Jiraiya, aren't you? I can't believe it! I actually met Jiraiya!"

But before he could say more, Jiraiya and Naruto had already slipped into Konoha.

"Wow, Pervy Sage, you're pretty famous in Konoha! Even random people on the street recognize you!"

"Eh, that's all just empty fame. Instead of Jiraiya, I'd rather be remembered as the Toad Sage—or an excellent novelist!"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Toad Sage, famous author... But nothing compares to being one of the Legendary Sannin, right? You're so ungrateful for what you've got. I'd love for people to recognize me as a great ninja—maybe even get the title of the Kage of Konoha!"

"So, where are we headed now, Pervy Sage?"

"Hmm... Let's gather some material first!"

"Oh, so you're off to spy on women bathing again!"

Naruto's words drew the attention of the nearby villagers, and Jiraiya quickly slapped his hand over Naruto's mouth, chuckling nervously at the curious glances.

"Haha, sorry, sorry! Kids say the darndest things!"

The villagers gave them a strange look—a bemused old man and an innocent young boy, quickly forming their own assumptions. Soon, they went back to their business, losing interest in the pair.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief and whispered to Naruto,

"Naruto, I've told you before—I'm not spying on women bathing. I'm searching for inspiration! Inspiration is the lifeblood of a novelist. Without it, I'd just produce trash, and there'd be no hope of me teaching you Sage Mode!"

Hearing this, Naruto fell silent. He knew better than to mess with Jiraiya's "research" if it would affect his Sage training.

They reached the 'Konoha Bathhouse,' settling on a men's bath just a wall away from the women's side.

Naruto soaked in the bath with a bored expression, blowing bubbles into the water while Jiraiya, in his bathrobe, used chakra to poke a small hole in the wall to spy through.

"Oh yes! Yes! These are amazing—haha, I've never seen this many before. Konoha's thriving, even the beauties have multiplied! Heh heh!"

An entire afternoon went by as Jiraiya immersed himself in his "research," with Naruto idly practicing ninjutsu out of sheer boredom.

But no matter how he trained, he had already hit a bottleneck, and his progress was limited. The practice felt meaningless, and the lack of improvement frustrated him.

"Hey, Pervy Sage, when are we leaving? It's getting dark, and I'm starving!"

As if on cue, his stomach grumbled in agreement.

"Oh? Is it that late already?" Jiraiya glanced up, seeing the sky darkening as the sun dipped toward the horizon.

"Alright, let's call it a day on the research. Let's go!"

"Finally! So, where are we headed?"

"To grab some ramen, of course!"

"Yes! I haven't had Ichiraku Ramen in forever! I've missed it so much!"

"Ramen! Ramen! Ichiraku Ramen!"

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The fanfic is finished on p@treon/tambeerg